PASTOR LIES

(Kicks jukebox)

Darn it to heck, I swear this infernal jukebox never plays what I want.

forcegreet

Hey there darling, miss me?

What happened?
Well, from the looks of it, you passed out in some godforsaken vault. But, despite you being here, I reckon it’s not quite over yet.

What isn’t over?
Your life. Your purpose. Your raison d’etre.

It never is.
You make it sound like a death sentence.

But living on this rock is more like life without parole. Might as well make the best of it.

Leave me alone, stranger.
You remind me of a ghoul I used to know. Her only companion was a flask of vodka.

But I’m all out of liquor, so my words will have to do.

I haven’t the slightest clue what you mean so I’ll just nod my head.
And yet to nod your head you’d first have to lift it.
Problem is,  all the weight in your skull keeps it pointed to the ground.

(exits dialogue and starts scene)

Now, as for your wild goose chase, that, I’m afraid, is over. The woman you were trying to save, I’m afraid she didn’t make it.
Passed away two hours ago. If it helps, she went in peace.

Where am I? What is this place?
Well it can’t be heaven, because the damn jukebox keeps eating all my coins…son of a gun is as hungry as a molerat.

How do you know Cole’s wife is dead?
Because I saw her go past the gates about twenty minutes ago. Kept my eye on that one, seeing as she meant so much to you.

What happened to the orchid?
Your friend, the courier, he made a choice. Get that fool’s orchid, or save a friend. I like to think he chose wisely.

Your friend, the courier, she made a choice. Get that fool’s orchid, or save a friend. I like to think she chose wisely.

Where’s Hope?
Right where you left it I imagine. It’s just hard to see under all that mess.
But it’s there, darling. It always has been. Right under your nose.

Look, it was never your fault that woman got ill. And I ain’t sure she’d even want your help if you gave it.
I’ve told you before, the past is a wagon that ain’t got no wheels. You show up after all this time, and all three of you will be dragging it.

That woman didn’t deserve the pain I gave her.
(Chuckles and shakes head) Jesus God almighty Hope, you’ve always been a stubborn one.
It’s why your name’s always been a good fit.
Of course, this may surprise you, but it wasn’t your mother that picked it, although she did have a hoot saying it.

I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.
No, I think I know you better than you know yourself. 
Of course, foolishness has always run on your mother’s side of the family. 
Although granted, it wasn’t her that picked your name.

Where does the name “Hope Lies” come from?
Well, around the time you were born, your mother and I were having difficulties.
We couldn’t agree on anything, let alone a name. So for about a month you were just “our crying child.”
And boy, could you cry. I had to get my shuteye during the day, because every night you’d let out one hell of a storm.
Your mother of course slept right through it, so it was up to me to calm you down.

But you did it, like any father would.
Ha, I did. Looking back on it now, those days were priceless. And I’m grateful I didn’t sleep through ’em.

That’s mom all right. But a raider comes within one hundred feet and she’d spring right up.
And complain to us that we didn’t do the same. But that’s why we love her. She was one of a kind.

She sounds like a real pain in the ass.
At times. But she was a tough son of a gun, and I couldn’t have raised you without her.

So how did you come up with the name?
Well, eventually I just gave up on trying to go to sleep. Figured you were gonna wake me up anyway, so what was the point?
Only that night you were as quiet as a tumbleweed. 
I remember holding you in my arms – the both of us tired and hungry, not knowing whether me or my marriage would last the night.
And then I looked into your eyes and thought to myself, this child right here is where all my hope lies.
That’s right hon. Your name doesn’t mean hope don’t exist. It means hope lies within. 

Oh, I know it feels like the world is conspiring against you. But that’s just how it keeps time.
Stop to take a breath and it’ll leave you behind. Try to get ahead and you’ll find it stuck in its ways.

You gotta put hope in today, darling. Not for some man from long ago or some future that will never be.
That’s the kind of love you hold onto. That’s the kind of hope that can never tell a lie.

Now you go on and get back to adventuring. I’ve got to see the owner about this gosh darn jukebox!
I may be a man of God, but even I have my limits.